Massachusetts Folks Must Obey ‘Jessica’s Law’ When Visiting NH

Massachusetts residents have been receiving their fair share of snow, ice, freezing rain, and bitterly cold temperatures lately. That comes with the territory of being a New England resident.

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With the latest storm that landed over the weekend, I've been seeing many vehicles on the roads that are still covered with ice and snow. As many know this is a very dangerous situation for drivers on the road as the ice and snow can come flying off of the vehicle and smash into the windshield of another motorist causing serious injury or even death.

Does Massachusetts Have a Snow/Ice Clearing Law for Motorists? 

What's surprising is Massachusetts doesn't technically have a law on the books regarding the failure to remove ice and snow from vehicles when driving on roadways. However, Massachusetts law enforcement can fine motorists if the snow/ice is obstructing the driver's view. Also, drivers can be fined if there is an excessive amount of snow on the top of the vehicle causing an unsecured load but as I mentioned earlier there isn't an actual snow-clearing law for vehicles in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Motorists Should Be Aware of 'Jessica's Law'

Now, if you are planning on driving in New Hampshire, that's another story. New Hampshire has a law regarding clearing ice and snow from your vehicle. It's illegal if drivers fail to remove ice and snow from the top of their vehicles. That law is called 'Jessica's Law' and was named after Jessica Smith who died in 1999 when a piece of ice about nine (9) feet long flew off of a tractor-trailer, smashing into a box truck that veered into Jessica’s vehicle and killing her. The accident occurred in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

What's The Penalty for Breaking Jessica's Law?

Failure to comply with 'Jessica's Law' is punishable under NH RSA 265:79-b (Negligent Driving) and subject to a penalty fine of $250.00-$500.00 for a first offense with increased penalties for subsequent offenses up to and including loss of license according to lebanonnh.gov.

Just Do it 

Just a reminder to Massachusetts motorists, whether you're traveling from Boston, Worcester, Springfield, etc., and are planning on visiting or just driving through New Hampshire make sure you obey 'Jessica's Law" or you may end up having a very bad day.